Improvemenf in vehicle-springs



E. T. BARLOW.

, Vehicle-Spring.

No. 217,973. Patented July 29,1879.

m'Znesses Z r7 fizventor Jtorkzey q UNIT D 7 STATES ELISHA T. BARLOW, OFSAN FRANCISCO,

PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR TO SUSAN BARLOW AND HELEN M. HITOHGOCK, OF SAME PLACE, ANDFREDERICK W. TOMPKINS,

or OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

" IMPROVEMENT IN VEHICLE-SPRINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217,973, dated July 29,1879 application filed January 20, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELISHA T. BARLOW, of the city and county of SanFrancisco. and State of California, have invented an ImprovedEqualizing-Spring for Buggies and Carriages; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,reference being had to the drawings accompanying this specification andforming a part of the same.

My invention has reference to an arrangement for distributing the effectof a weight or pressure applied upon a buggy or carriage body equally toboth ends of the buggy or carriage spring, no matter at what point theweight or pressure is applied to the body, so that the spring and bodyare depressed equally at both ends my object being to prevent thetilting or unequal depression of the carriagebody caused by personsgetting in and out of the carriage or buggy, or by the weight beinggreater on one side than on the other; and it consists in theconstruction and arrangement of the various parts composing my improvedspring, as fully hereinafter explained.

. Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a general View ofequalizing-spring for buggies and carriages. Fig. 2 is a sectional Viewof the same, showing internal gearing and mode of Working.

Let A represent the axle of riage, or other vehicle. B B represent twolever-bars, the inner or meeting ends of which are toothed, so that theyengage with each other. These bars may be as thick as the axle A, andtheir meeting ends are secured between two plates, 0 0, one of which issecured on each side of the axle so as to project above it. The bars areplaced with their interlocking ends directly over the middle of theaxle, and they are secured by bolts or rivets d near the outer ends ofthe plates, so that one bar extends outward toward one end of the axle,and the other toward the opposite end.

E is a horizontal bar or rail, at each extremity of which is adownward-projecting lug or end piece, f. This bar or rail may form theend supports of the buggy or carriage body. The outer ends of thelever-bars B B are sea buggy, carcured by bolts or rivets in thesedownwardprojecting lugs, as shown.

It will now be seen that the bar E must rise and .lower parallel withthe axle A, because any motion of one of the bars B will be communicatedby the gearing or interlocking ends to the other bar, so that it movessimultaneously and correspondingly. The bolts or rivets cl represent thefulcra of the levers, while the weight and power points are shiftedaccording to which end of the bar E the weight or pressure is applied.

A spring, h, is used in connection with this arrangement. It consists ofseveral straight thin strips or plates of steel or other resilient metalplaced loosely one upon another, so as to give the desired tension. Thisspring I place with its middle resting upon the upper edges of theplates 0 O, (which 'extend above the bars B B, and the upper edges ofwhich are rounded,) so that its ends pass into and through the lugs ordepending pieces f above the outer ends of the lever-bars B B. I thenplace a metal strap, J, around the plates 0 and middle of the spring tokeep it in place. This arrangement raises the outer ends of theleverbars, so that the bars stand at an angle upward. The extremities ofthe spring h will then be supported between the upper edges of the barsB and a pin that passes over them.

To prevent the ends of the springs from becoming loose and rattling, Imake a projection on the upper side of each bar B, near its outer end,upon which the ends of the springs rest. I then press the extremitiesoutside of the projection downward, as shown at Fig. 2, before insertingthe pin over them, thus cramping them so that they will not wear loose.

Now, if the bar E be pressed downward, the pressure coming upon the endsof the spring h, While its middle is supported on the standard or plates0, will bend the springs downward on each side of the middle, and thepressure is distributed by the bars B B, as above described. I

To re-enforce this spring, loan-either insert more strips of metal oremploy pendent springs g g, the upper ends of which are securedunderneath the outside ends of the bar B, so that they stand at anangle, while their lower ends press upon the strap which clasps themiddle of the spring. This arrangement will equalize the pressure uponthe buggy or carriage body, so that it is depressed uniformly at bothsides. No matter at what point the pressure is applied, each end of thespring will bear its proper proportion of the weight.

This is an important improvement in buggies and carriages, as it willprevent accidents occasioned by the rocking or tipping of thecarriage-body. and render the motion much more pleasant and easy. Thisarrangement will make an excellent seat-spring.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the lever-bars B, toothed at their meeting ends,for the purpose set forth, with the spring h, composed of a number ofthin plates laid loosely upon one another, and the plates 0 0, allsubstantially as described and shown.

2. The vehicle-spring described, consisting of the toothed bars B,pivoted at one end to the plates (1 C, and secured at the other end tolugs depending from the cross-bar that supports the vehicle-body, andthe spring h, composed of flat strips of equal length, the plates 0 G,and the strap J, all constructed and arranged substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

ELISHA T. BARLOW.

Witnesses F. W. TOMPKINS, GEo. B. HITCHCOCK.

